Some features on this website require JavaScript to be viewed properly.
Please make sure that you have JavaScript enabled and try again. If you
continue to see this message, JavaScript has not yet been enabled and
pages will display incorrectly.

Evoking a journey of discovery, the
artist takes us into a contemporary experience of visiting prehistoric cave and
early stone temples during a storytelling. Using cutting edge LED technology in
the place of oil burning lamps, the illuminated spaces of Kronika’s installation
invite you into the mysteries. Working with mixed media, the artist turns
everyday materials into glowing crystalline and substantial spaces. Using
printmaking, bookmaking, sculpture and photographic processes, the evolving
series of two-dimensional art works and documentation capture the strangely
universal yet undecipherable symbols that illuminate the exhibit.

Expansive gesture
Etched relief print
with watercolor

A strong
thread of recycling ties the various media to one another, as the printed works
play off the stenciled hand motifs of early caves, the plates they are printed
from evolve into the silhouettes for the led projections within the
installation’s ephemeral and translucent cavern, and delicate brass pendants with
patina’s that reflect an ageless sense of the relic.

The
photographic works include time exposures of the installation interior as
viewed in its various site specific presentations: May 2009 at Columbia College
Chicago, May-June 2009 at Fly’n Gypsy Art Studio in Oak Park, May 2010 at
Bridgeport Art Center of Chicago, March 2011 at Life Force Arts Center of
Chicago, July 2011 RAW Artists Chicago at Evil Olive of Chicago, and September
2011 at Next Wave in Elgin, IL. The artist has printed unique editions of these
still photographs as ready to frame original photos, greeting cards and
postcards. All formats will be on display at the opening reception.

J. Kronika at Evil Olive Chicago
Lumiere, Raw Artists, July 2011

Supporting materials that allow
insight into the artist’s process and inspirations include original and printed
sketches, reference images and text, artist drawings, spatial renderings and
diagrams, model, and books.Each format
continues the distinctive symbols and incorporates the evolving trail of
materials.This cycling and re-cycling
builds layers of meaning and interprets the context of each unique site and
exhibit theme to add levels of audience interface.Prime examples include the book which pairs
each symbol as a print with a poem exploring its meaning as a gesture or
constellation, the adaptation of the form to highlight its relation to the
original temple of Gigantia at Malta for the Electro-Sexual exhibit at the
Bridgeport Art Center, and the poem statement which accompanied the installation
at Life Force Art Center’s The World of Fairy exhibit.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Book Making workshop at Expressions Graphics, Oak Park, IL

This Saturday!

Book Making Workshop

With instructor Jessica Kronika

of Fly’n Gypsy Arts

Dates & Times:
1-4pm, March 17th and 24th, 2012.

Location:
Expressions Graphics, 29 Harrison St., Oak Park, IL 60302.

Cost: $35
per session, discounted rate of $75 for three sessions if paid in full at
registration. This class includes some supplies, while other supplies* will be
available from instructor for purchase or student can seek out their own.

Overview:
This workshop will cover several book binding processes. Demonstrations of glue
binding, stitch-binding, and complete building of a book will take place.
Students are encouraged to bring a project (pages and embellishments
recommended) for completion. Recovering, scrapbook style glue bound book, and
stitch-bound traditional book are scheduled. The process of preparing book
parts, assembly, weighting and drying your unique book will be covered.

Bring your pages and learn to build a glue bound, tape bound
or stitch bound book. Limited supplies will be available onsite to
preregistered students. Registration must be complete two weeks prior to class
start date. Contact instructor to register and request supply list.

To register, contact instructor Jessica Kronika at
847-722-7032 with your name and contact phone number or email:
flyngypsyarts@aol.com

Monday, February 20, 2012

Protecting your investment in one of a kind art

Protecting your investment

Your investment in an original piece of art makes choosing
protection important for several reasons. While your artist or design
consultant will take care to work with products such as paint with a long life
and drawing materials such as paper of archival quality, the environment often
produces hazards to the vibrancy of colors and the durability of certain types
of art is dependent upon its care over time. Art can offer lifetime enjoyment
and unique inheritance for your heirs if you choose some simple ways to
safeguard your art at the time of purchase.The protection of murals is different from that required for framed work
or sculpture. Each type of work is susceptible to individual hazards for which
there are specifically designed solutions. Your design consultant will assess
the visible hazards at the time of your consultation and ask questions to
determine whether other problems are likely to arise over the life of the work.

Hazards to both mural and framed works include fading from
exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays via direct sunlight through windows and
harsh lighting. This particular hazard generally does not affect sculpture made
of certain materials, while other works will be as affected as a drawing or
painting. To determine the strength of sun and interior lighting, factors like
length of exposure and heat generated will help. The solution for all types of
light affected fading involves ultraviolet blocking sealants, glass or plexi-glass.

Kids, pets, food, airborne particulates and moisture all
raise the need for ease of cleaning. In the case of art that is directly on a
wall or a freestanding sculpture, the solution is a durable, easy to clean
sealant applied to the painting after completion. For framed works, glass or
plexi-glass provides a washable barrier between the art and the environment.
Both glass and plexi-glass can be selected for a variety of additional hazards
such as non-glare where lighting is likely to be reflected and
ultraviolet-protective where sun is present. Glass is scratch proof and
inflexible, with a durable washable surface.Plexi-glass, while susceptible to some surface scratching, offers
additional resistance to shattering in comparison to glass and is ideal for
providing safety in spaces where children play.

In spaces like recreation rooms and outdoor applications,
damage control is necessary. Sealants come in a variety of densities offering
additional durability to minimize dings, scratches and weather related peeling,
fading or flaking. The application of painted work to building exteriors also
requires certain conditions to prevent premature aging or decay of the art
work. For example, outdoor work should be completed during the warmer months of
the year, when the wall or substrate is clean and dry. Paint should be allowed
to dry fully before a finish is applied and several coats of sealant may be
needed. All outdoor applications should be placed on surfaces that are sound,
without dryrot in the case of wood, and without pitting, chalking or cracking
in the case of painted surfaces, stone, brick and cement.

Choosing the right protective finish for your project will
be a collaborative effort between you and your designer. The designer will use
her expertise to suggest the right options based on the clear information you
share about your home, business or outdoor space’s ongoing use, traffic,
weather conditions, lighting and the people, animals and activities that
inhabit it.